Apparatus for heating coating material



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' Mar-fon I.Dar7%rv @MCM y fm M. I. DORFAN APPARATUS FOR HEATING COATING MATERIALS Filed June 2, 1943 Dec. 19, 1944.

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Patented Dec. i9, 1944 APPARATUS FOR HEATING COATING MATERIAL Morton I. Dorian, Pittsburgh, Pa., assigner, by mesne assignments, to Koppers Company, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Application June 2, 1943, Serial No. 489,348

4 Claims.

The invention relates to apparatus for heating a tank of coating material into which articles to be coated are dipped, and is particularly applicable to the coating of sheet-like and other articles with materials which have quick airhardeningl characteristics, such as bituminous base material, in the manner disclosed in my copending patent application Serial No. 489,347, filed June 2, 19.43.

The object of the invention is toprovide a heating apparatus of the character explained whereby a tank of coating material may be emciently, economically and uniformly heated to and maintained at a variable desired temperature from side to side and from the top to the bottom of the tank.

.The invention is atically illustrated in the accompanying drawing. of which Fig. 1 is a plan view of the apparatus, and Flg. 2 a vertical sectional view taken on the line lI-IL Fig. 1.

'Ihe apparatus provided according to this invention includes an open top tank I which is tical passages 9 and 8a at the other end of the tank, the vertical passages il and 8a communieating at their lower ends with each other through an opening formed in the web .of the I-beam that separates them, andthe vertical passages 9 and 9a atthe other end of the tank similarly communicating at their lower ends with each other.

Heated gases are supplied to the upper ends of a portion of the vertical passages and are delivered from the upper ends of the remainder thereof. For this purpose the top ofthe casing is preferably provided with a supply conduit lI which is channel shape in plan view and extends over the tops of passages I, I, 1, 8 and 9, and the casing top is similarly provided with a like shaped delivery conduit It which extends over the tops of passages 5a, 6a, 1a, 8a and sa. Gases,'heated in a manner presently to be explained, ow to supply conduit I5 through a supply pipe I1 conpreferably made of steel, and an open top casing 2 comprising walls of refractory material surrounding the tank and spaced from the bottom and side walls thereof to form passages for the flow of heated gases to heat the tank. The spac'e between the vertical walls of the casing and tank is divided into a plurality of vertical passages, and that between the bottoms thereof into a plurality of horizontal passages which communicate with the vertical passages. Preferably the vertical passages are formed by I-beams 3 whose outer flanges are anchored in casing 2 and whose inner flanges bear against the side walls of the tank for laterally supporting and strengthening it. This is of special advantage when, as shown, the tank is of suilicient depth and capacity to receive a large number of' long sheets such as corrugated steel siding and roong. Similarly, the'passages between the bottoms of the tank and casing are preferably formed by I-beams 4 which rest upon the bottom of the casing and support the tank. While any desired number of may be provided, asshown in Fig. 1 three vertical w z s i, i and 1 are thus formed at one side of the tank and three es 5a, 0a and 1a at the opposite side. the latter three communicating with es 5, t and 1, respectively, through horizontal 1 A; 5b, lb and 1b formed by I-beams I between the bottoms of the tank and casing.

Inagenerallysimilarmanuerverticalpassageslandlaareformedatoneendandvernected to such conduit, and gases delivered to delivery conduit I6 -flow from said conduit through a delivery pipe Il.

Associated with each of the passages means are provided for variably controlling theamount of heated gases flowing through it. Such means preferably consists of a horizontally movable damper Ilat the top of each passage, the damper being slidably mounted between the top of casing 2 and thev bottom of supply or delivery conduit i5 or I6. As shown in Fig. 1, thesedampers are usually so positioned that the openings to the passages from supply conduit I5 increase in crossfse'ctional area in the direction of flow of the heated gases in supply pipe I1. In other words, the smallest damper opening is that for passage I, and the size of the damper openings progressively increase for passages 5, 6, 1 and 9. The damper opening from passage la to delivery 40 conduit I6 may. as shown, be the same as that for the damper opening for passage 8, and similarly, the damper openings f or passages 5a, 0a, 1a and 9a may be the same as those for passages 5, 6,-1 and 9 respectively.

While various means may be provided for heatlng or forming the heated gases, such are preferably products of combustion formed in a heating furnace 2S by burning fluid fuel in it.

The uuid fuel may be gas suppued by a une 2s' to one end of furnace 2i, air for combustion being supplied by a suitable blower 21 driven by av motor 2l. The rear end of the furnace is con nected togas supply pipe I1, and its front end to an outlet or delivery pipe Il, inthe latter of 5g whichthereisafanlldrivenbyamotorllfor withdrawing gases through delivery pipe il from delivery conduit I and circulating them through the system. of furnace 25, delivery pipe i8 may be provided with a damper-controlled riser 3l for bleeding some of the gases from delivery pipe I8, it being understood that heated gases are continually supplied to the system by the products of combustion in the furnace.

In the use of the heating apparatus, bituminous base or other coating materials may be heated uniformly throughout a coating tank. The temperature to which the coating material is heated may be variably controlled by the burner in filisrnace 25 and by suitably positioning dampers According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle and mode of operation of my invention, and have illustrated and described what I now consider to be its best embodiment. However, I desire to have Between fan 29 and the front end it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than speciiically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for heating coating material, comprising an open top casing having a bottom and side walls formed of refractory material, a coating tank within and spaced from the bottom and side walls of the casing, I-beams betweenthe casing and tank forming lateral supports for the side walls of the tank and dividing the space between the adJacent vertical walls of the casing and tank into a plurality of vertical passages, I- beams between the bottom of the tank and the bottom of the casing supporting the tank and dividing the space between said bottoms into horizontal passages communicating with said vertical passages, gas supply and delivery conduits at the top of said casing communicating one with the upper ends of a portion of said vertical passages and the other with the upper ends of the remainder thereof, and means for supplying said supply conduit with heated gases, and for removing them through said delivery conduit, said gases flowing through said passages from said supply conduit to said delivery conduit.

2. An apparatus for heating coating material, comprising an open top casing having a bottom and side walls, a coating tank within and spaced from the bottom and side walls of the casing, partitions between the casing and tank dividing the space between the adjacent vertical walls thereof into a plurality of vertical passages and dividing the space between the bottoms thereof into horizontal passages communicating with saidvertical passages, gas supply and delivery conduits at the top of said casing communicating one with the upper ends ofj a portion of said asesse vertical passages and the other with the upper ends of the remainder thereof, means for supplying said supply conduit with heated gases and for removing them through said delivery conduit, said gases flowing through said passages from said supply conduit to said delivery conduit, and a damper at each end of each of said passages for variably controlling the amount of heated gases ilowing through said passage.

3. An apparatus i'or heating coating material, comprising an open top casing having a bottom and -vertical side and end walls. a coating tank within and spaced from the bottom and side and end walls of the casing, partitions between the casing and tank dividing the space between the adjacent vertical side and end walls thereof into a plurality of vertical passages and dividing the space between the bottoms thereof into horizontal passages communicating with said vertical passages between the sides of the casing and tank, channel-shaped gas supply and delivery conduits at the top of said casing communicating one with the upper ends of said vertical passages at one side and at end portions of the casing adjacent said side, and the other communicating with the upper ends of the vertical passages at the other side and adjacent end portions of the casing, and means for supplying said supply conduit with heated gases and for removing them through said delivery conduit, said gases fiowing through said passages from said supply conduit to said delivery conduit.

4. An apparatus for heating coating material, comprising an open top casing having a bottom and vertical side and end walls, a coating tank within and spaced from the bottom and side and end Walls of the casing, partitions between the casing and tank dividing the space between the adjacent vertical side and end walls thereof into a plurality of vertical passages and dividing the space between the bottoms thereof into horizontal passages communicating with said vertical passages between the sides of the casing and tank, channel-shaped gas supply and delivery conduits at the top of said casing communicating one with the upper ends of said vertical pasmoving them through said delivery conduit, said gases flowing through said passages from said supply conduit to said delivery conduit, and a damper at each end of each of said passages for variabiy controlling the amount of heated gases flowing through said passage.

MORTON I. DORFAN. 

